Technology Tasks- The Cinema Exhibitors Association Annual Report 2011

Why have cinema attendances increased?

The cinema going Summer could have been seen to kick off from May with the success of so many good films being released such as, Thor, Fast and Furious Five and Pirates of the Carribean: on Stranger Tides. This was then repeated in the following months by The Hangover Part 2, X-Men First Class, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and the unexpected success of Bridesmaids. 

"Considering that the first two months of the previous year had benefited 

from the extraordinary box office of Avatar, the increased level of cinema 

admissions during the same period in 2011 was all the more remarkable, 

with the UK film The King’s Speech enjoying exceptional success and going 

on to become the second largest film of the year. The months immediately 

following however saw a significant tailing off in audiences as they 

responded to good weather and a generally downbeat slate of films. " 

- The cinema Exhibitors' Association Annual Report

Many major titles came out in 2011, including the much anticipated final installment of the Harry Potter series- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. 

Also the increase in technology has made a huge effect on the cinema. Also cinemas can now screen Tv shows like Strictly Come Dancing Final. 3D is making a huge effect on the amount of people attending cinemas.

What id DFP and the VPF?
DFP- Digital Funding Partnership
Established by the CEA to support small and medium sized cinema operators seeking to digitise. A cooperative of some 400 screens covering all types of independently owned cinemas  Collectively and in aggregate have sufficient first run programming to enter into VFP deals on the same basis as major circuits. DFP acts as a quasi circuit as has a fully financed deal with a third party where by that part will receive sufficient VFPs to pay back all relevant costs. The strategic beauty is that all cinemas benefit and none lose.
Scheme supported and backed by all studios, major UK circuits, BFI and Minister of Culture. 


VPF- Virtual Print Free
Based funding agreement with XDC Digital Cinema. The cost of a screen is around 50k plus finance and other costs. Major distributors are unwilling to accept any lower standard because they don't want any bad press on the film.  A sum of money is paid to a cinema when a film is played on a VPF supported system on the release date of the film. So if a cinema plays enough first run films over the funding period, say 10 years , then it covers off about 75/80% of the equipment and finance costs. A good proposition for major, commercial operators e.g. a national circuit.

What might happen to those who don't use the DFP?
If small or medium sized cinemas do not have the money to convert to fully digital by 2012 they will not be able to receive the new films. 
Training and mind set issues 

Competition for equipment and technical expertise for physical installations. Space and facilities required in projection booths [Air con] 

Loading and playing  out content

Security, unlock keys for encrypted content

Basically a complete new way of operating

What problems face 'alternative' content?
One of the problems that alternative content faces is that the audience could find it odd to the idea of using a cinema for other purposes such as screening of concerts and sports. Also it is expensive to rent screen rooms for the public and not many people want to pay a lot of money. Also you have to pay to have it classified and then pay for the screen usage which people are reluctant to do.  

Case Study 5.1

This is the last shot from the 1st  scene. The facial expression of this character looks like he is up to something, or he knows something that the other characters do not.

This is the 1st shot from the second scene. The transition is quick indicating that the activities of the characters in the second scene have to be fast.

 

Camera-

In the 1st scene all the camera shots are close ups of the different characters. All of the shots have quick transitons after the characters have said their lines. The camera doesn't pan in this scene. In the second scene the camera is very shaky this could have been used to create the effect that they are scared or startled. In the second scene there are a lot of over the shoulder shots included.  

 

 

Editing-

The bridge is made by adding a quick transition from the top image on this page to the second. There are many angle shots from different persepectives in the first scene. This could create the effect of perspective for the audience.

 

 

Sound- In the first scene the sound is just the dialogue, with background music that was played in the pub which they are in. In the second scene it is just dialogue. Everything that the characters are saying during the second scene is important.

 

Mise en scene- In the first scene there is a lot of natural light in every shot. In the second scene there is darkness and shadows on the bad characters. On the good character there is a little bit of natural light with a few shadows ths could represent his past. The first storyline is in a public place in the second it is in a flat which creates privacy and mystery with in the set. The atmosphere for the first scene is relaxed, the second is tense and scared. In the first scene there is many bright colours including Cheryls top which is bright blue, while in the second scene there are very pastel like colours which seem urban. It seems like their clothing is trying to not attract attension.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yWUkdE5L0A

 Time- 2.16- 6.04

 



Working Title Visit

On thursday 28th February Reepham college media  students had the opportunity to visit Working Title and have a talk from some of the people who worked in  different departments of the industry.

Charlotte, Tristan and Tilly- Internship
Tilly was on the program Action! which is a one year program for people trying to get into the industry. They choose three people, one goes to developing, runner and production. They also talked about their own personal roles in working title. Tristan had worked on the production of Skyfall and went to another country to film the beggining sequence of the train scene. He also spent 5 months on the set of Batman: The Dark Knight Rises.
Development
In development it is the whole procees from the original idea to the screening. The development process varies depending on the film. With Anna Karenina it took a short time compared with Les Miserables. Marketing has its own department next to development. Marketing and development have to have many convosations and meetings between collegues in order to solve difficulties with in the departments.
Amelia Granger is in film development. To come up with ideas for a film you use many resoures suchas books, novels, plays. Then thinking processes and meetings with writer and directors.
Assistant Director
The assistant director is there for production on set and the communication between each individual group is handled by them. They get to see everything onset. Things will mostly go wrong so contigency plans are needed and you need to be able to improvise inmany different situations.
Adaption
Adaption takes a long time if you are creating a film from a book with out the play in the middle. In the case of Anna Karenina there was a playthat could be used before hand anyway so the used that as a guideline for the film. Tom Stoppard is the screen writer who did Shakespeare in love, War Horse and worked on Anna Karenina.
Production and Anna Karenina
Production focuses on schedule and budget. For Anna Karenina Universal gave a certain amount of money for the entire process of making the film. The amount of money given was not enough meaning the orginal ideas had to be scrapped. Then the idea of the theatre was created and saved a lot of money. They filmed part of the movie in Kizzy, it was -40 degrees and many of the crew got frostbite and equiptment got broken. During the process offices are given scripts to breakdown and analyse in order to work out the budget of the film.
Audience for Anna Karenina
The target audience was aimed at those in the upmarket class with a literature background. The audience similar to Pride and Prejudice and Atonement.
Investors
Investors have little input in the making process. They are sent a casting list, concept designs and given a brief over view of what the director wants to create. Some productions like Working Title compromise and it is generally a satisfying process with very little disagreements.
Special Effects
Visula effects crashed and businesses are shutting down or reducing their employee numbers- famine or feast situation. It took off around the time of avatar being released when everyone wanted to see a special effects film. Now not many people are interested by special effects so the numbers have dropped and many businesses are having to shut down. The business is incredibly competitive.
Editing
The editor puts in a rough cut with every scene and everyone watches a screening of it. After they talk about it and the visual effects come ina and decision would be made. Once the directors cut is viewed nothing else is done.

Notes on Anna Karenina opening scene

The film Anna Karenina is based on a book by Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, published in serial installments from 1873 to 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger. The opening scene, it plays a dated style music which sets the century of in which the film is taken place in (1700s). The music is also typically Russian. The opening action shots are like a theatre production, with different rooms being changed by the set. It could relate that the book which was turned into a play and is currently a film. As the opening sequence progresses we are are introduced  to one of the male characters in the film as he sits down on a chair to be shved. The way the shaving is taken place it is almost like a performance, the way it is exaggerated. The barber has a red cloak this could make reference to spanish bull masters and their exaggerated dangerous job. There is a close up shot of the character showing his features so that he audience knows who he is throughout the film. The features and clothing of the character could mean that he is an important man with in society. We get the impression that the main characters are in the higher class.
We are then introduced to the main character Anna Karenina (Kiera Knightly) who is being dressed by her maid, this further supports the point that the main characters come from a higher class. There is an extreme close up of her ring, this could emphasise the fact that she is married, and that this is an important feature in the film. When the she is fully dressed she is followed by the camera with a tracking shot through out the sets as they change. This follows by the interaction between her and her husband and son, this is when the first part of the plot line is put into place. Her husband is seen as the dominant one in the household, as the levels are used.
When she says goodbye to her son their shadows reveal that they are hiding which could mean there are secrets with in the entire film that need to be presented.









 

Representations of age with in television dramas

 Childhood

This image shows a young girl running in the middle of the road. Her clothes could signify her innocence. Also the way the image is shot could represent that she is very important. Also the shot is almost mirrored both sides.




this image shows a young girl who is angry. The background of the image shows that she is in an urban place. The bright colors around her show happiness but the black spray painting shows sadness and madness.







Youth

This image shows the youths from Hollyoaks in an abandoned building. The building could represent rebellious feelings from the youths. Also it could represent privacy which could be what the youths want. The colors of the original clothing that the people are wearing in the image could symbolize their close ages or their friendship with each other. The powdered paint could signify their wildness or it could signify their creativity.

This image shows a youth who is vulnerable. Her facial expression shows concern and being scared. The background of the image is light colors this could signify that she is a good character. Also the cuts on her forehead makes the audience believe that she was in an accident.









Elderly 



In this image the character has shown weaknesses. This could signify deteriorations within this characters life.  The way the image is shot to the side could exaggerate the characters well known smoking habit. The way that her head is placed on her hand could show the give up of hope or will to do anything. Her dressing gown and nail polish could show that to everyone else she is a strong fierce character, but in her own life she has no motivation to complete anything.






In this image from Sherlock Holmes the series, this is an image of Mrs Hudson. She is shown as quite a strong, traditional character. The tea cup and saucer represent the traditional side of her life. Also she could represent the traditional  London. Her facial expression shows that she is confident and strong. The way  the shot has been taken so that she is the main focus of the audiences attention.

Crowd Funding

 Crowdfunding describes the collective effort of individuals who network and pool their money, usually via the Internet, to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations.

 How might crowd funding affect the 'big six'?

Online crowd funding is a growing necessity for independent filmmakers, this has been made easier due to sites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter. For just $25, investors can score a spot with in the coveted opening credits, as well as behind the scenes access to the entire film making process. Fincher and Kaufman used kickstarter to subvert Big Hollywood - Johnson intends to augment it. He believes the crowd-sourced experience brings a gain that isn't purely financial. Their interest generates early onset marketing for Backseat Driver, a film that is already on track for theatrical release.

Do you think this method of film financing will allow creativity to flourish or will it reduce the overall quality of film making as an art form?

I don't think it will ruin creativity because film making is about the story idea and how you can interpret ideas. I believe this will help many people get the chance to develop their ideas for a movie and allow them to flourish. This way instead of only a small amount of people coming up with ideas this allows a wide range of people to have a chance at making a film. There is a chance that it will reduce the quality of art form because of the financial aspect in getting hold of a film camera. I believe this type of film making will make no difference to big names like Disney and Warner Bros, as many of their films are entertaining and fun to watch. 

How can a crowd funded film appeal to global and local audiences?

Crowd funding is done over the internet meaning it can be accessible to a wide range of people. Also it gives a person the opportunity to be a part of the film making process. For just $25, investors can score a spot with in the coveted opening credits or have behind the scenes access to the entire film making process. 

Example of crowd funding:

Charlie Kaufman's Anomalisa  raised $406327. -http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/anomalisa/charlie-kaufmans-anomalisa?ref=card

Media Ownership Questions

1. What is horizontal and vertical integration in the media industry and can you provide an example?

Horizontal integration is where an organization develops by buying up competitors in the same section of the market, and allows companies to reach a wider audience . E.g. Disney bought the rights to Star Wars allowing them to reach a wider audience.

Vertical integration describes a style of management control. Vertically integrated companies in a supply chain are united through a common owner. It allows media organizations to make profit at every stage in the production stage in the chain. Usually each member of the supply chain produces a different product or service.  News Corp owns the forests from which their newspapers are printed. 

2. What does Melody (1978) believe happens to the 'media market'?

As a result of economic conditions or circumstances, access to the market place of ideas is restricted to a privileged few. 25 years ago, Melody made a statement of, only 37 cities out of 1519 in the USA had two or more daily newspapers. By 2000 the number had decreased and the one-newspaper town had become the national norm. Fewer owners have control over more newspapers and their circulation, and most of the media have been absorbed by large conglomerates, 'families' or chains. 

3.What does Neuman (1991) believe happens to media content? Why is it a problem for the audience?

What most people hear and see in the mass media is remarkably uniform in content and world view. Giddens goes further and he calls for 'the democratizing of the democracy'. The media have a double relation to democracy. On the other hand, the emergence of a global information society is a powerful democratizing force.  Yet television and the other media tend to destroy the very public.

4. What does Sterling think about the level of research?

"Surprisingly little research has been done- only margining more than we could draw on two decades ago. Too much is assumed or anecdotal, merely suggesting results from ownership changes'.

5. What does the media reproduce according to Gomery (2000)?

Believes the marxist argument that the capitalist society controls the media and tells people with less power what to do and where to stay.  It makes out that if you believe the message of keeping you in your place so that the people keep paying money to see their films. It persuades the people not to question or challenge the capitalist the society. 

6. The media industry and corporate power form a powerful cartel. What does it do to local cultures (Mier)?

Corporate power creates a powerful cartel which in turn encourages the spread of certain values (e.g. consumerism and share hold value). There are strong incentives for the displacement of the public sphere with commercial infotainment. This strengthens a conservative 'common sense' view of th eworld eroding local cultures.

7. How have media corporations influenced the law? What impact does this have on new businesses entering the market?

According to Bagdikian the largest media giants have achieved alarming success in writing the media laws and regulations to favor the interests of their corporation rather than the interests of the general public. 

8. What issue does convergence pose for media ownership?

In Europe and the USA, many cross-media ownership rules have been relaxed or have disappeared with the rise of a laissez-faire ideology within parliaments, government and regulatory bodies.
9. What does the FCC believe about program diversity?

The Federal Communications Commission once believed that programming diversification was necessary to maximize public service. It was argued that the number of independent broadcasters, the greater the chances for achieving the desired diversity.  

Uk cinema audiences

Over the past 14 years the 15- 24 year old audience has reduced from 43% to 31%. There are flucations such as the big dip in 2004 with 30% or the big rise in 2009 of 39%. While there are less younger audiences there has been an increase in 45+, in 1997 only 14% of cinema goers were 45+, but in 2011 28% were 45+ which increased by 14%.
The majority of people who watch films on the television rather than in the cinema, 77% to 3.4%. There are many reasons for why this could be, for example: the telvision is much cheaper than going to the cinema, this may put audiences off buying cinema tickets,.